BBM for Android and iPhone is now live in Google Play and Apple’s App Store

Get ready for BBM voice and video calls
Ten million people have downloaded it already - and there’s more to come from BBM for iPhone and Android. Andrew Bocking, executive VP of BBM for Blackberry said yesterday that those with the app should be able to make voice and video calls within months.
While Bocking has said that the app will always be free, the company are looking to monetise it, Phonearena notes. That means BBM channels, which Bocking calls a “social engagement platform within BBM” with targeted ads for users.

As for BBM itself? “We continue to plan to evolve the service and keep making it more engaging and have more reasons why people will come back to use the service”, Bocking says.
BBM for Android and iPhone nets over 10 million downloads on day one of release
BlackBerry has revealed than in the first 24 hours since it launched BBM for Andorid and iPhone it has been downloaded more than 10 million times, in what the company describes as "one of the best single-day openings for a mobile app to date ."
BBM achieved number one app status in the UK, US, Canada, Indonesia and "most of the Middle East," according to a BlackBerry statement. It also gained "overwhelmingly positive" user ratings on both Apple's App Store and Google Play with 60,000 five star reviews on Google Play.
Andrew Bocking, BlackBerry's executive vice president of BBM, said, "This has been an incredible launch for BBM across Android and iPhone devices. The mobile messaging market is full of opportunity for BBM. We intend to be the leading private social network for everyone who needs the immediate communication and collaboration of instant messaging combined with the privacy, control and reliability delivered through BBM."
He added: "While we’re excited to bring BBM to iPhone and Android – we aren’t stopping there. Work isn’t slowing down at all. We committed to delivering a BBM experience on iPhone and Android that was equal to that on BlackBerry 10. That means bringing BBM Video, BBM Voice and BBM Channels to Android and iPhone customers too.

"My team is still committed to bringing those features to BBM on Android and iPhone in the near future. And we’re not stopping there – we have some great new features planned that will build on BBM as the private social network you count on for immediate conversations you can control and trust."
A slew of five star ratings for BBM for Android has resulted in allegations that something fishy is going on inside Google’s Play store, and the allegation is as follows: BlackBerry is writing up fake reviews of its newly released IM application, BBM.
At the time of writing there are currently 182,000 reviews of BBM for Android. It’s not uncommon for companies to hire marketing firms to write up decent reviews of newly released applications, although BlackBerry says this is not the case it all –– it has nothing to do with the reviews.

BBM Available for Android on September 21 and iPhone on September 22

That’s right BBM fans — the iconic mobile social network will begin rolling out for Android and iPhone customers around the world from September 21. Soon, you’ll be able to easily connect with friends on different platforms. As you may know BBM was previously exclusive to BlackBerry smartphones, and it will be available as a free download in Google Play and the App Store.

While some of you are no strangers to BBM, many will be new and might be asking: What is BBM? Below, you’ll find all the highlights for BBM for Android and iPhone.

BBM for Android and iPhone features:

    BBM Chat – Enjoy real, immediate conversations with friends on Android, iPhone and BlackBerry smartphones. Not only does BBM let you know that your message has been delivered and read, it also shows you that your friend is responding to the message.

    More than chat – With BBM you can share files on your phone such as photos and voice notes, all in an instant.

    Keep your group in the loop – Multi-person chats are a great way to invite contacts to chat together. BBM Groups lets you invite up to 30 friends to chat together, and go a step further than multi-chat by sharing photos and schedules. And, with Broadcast Message, you can send a message out to all your BBM contacts at once.

    Post Updates and stay in the know – BBM lets you post a personal message, profile picture and your current status, and lets your contacts know instantly in Updates.

    Your unique PIN – Every BBM user has a unique PIN that maintains your privacy, so you don’t have to give out your phone number or email address to a new or casual contact.

BBM gives you a private social network for active, real conversations and it has more than 60 million customers on BlackBerry alone. The overwhelming majority use BBM an average of 90 minutes per day. BBM customers collectively send and receive more than 10 billion messages each day, nearly twice as many messages per user per day as compared to other mobile messaging apps. Messages on BBM are typically read within seconds, reflecting how truly engaged BBM customers are.

    It’s immediate. BBM is always on so you are always connected. And because messages on BBM are typically delivered and read within seconds, it’s the closest thing to a live conversation.

    You trust it. BBM always tells you that messages are delivered and read. BBM conversations come alive on a private network you can count on.

    You control it. BBM allows you to choose your contacts and how you share your information. BBM uses a PIN so you don’t have to give anyone your phone number or email address.

In a recent press release, Andrew Bocking, Executive Vice President for BBM at BlackBerry said:

    “BBM is a very engaging messaging service that is simple to use, easy to personalize and has an immediacy that is necessary for mobile communications. With more than a billion Android, iOS, and BlackBerry smartphones in the market, and no dominant mobile instant messaging platform, this is absolutely the right time to bring BBM to Android and iPhone customers.”

Availability

BBM will be available as a free download for Android smartphones running Ice Cream Sandwich and Jelly Bean (Android 4.x) beginning at 7AM EDT on September 21. BBM for iPhones running iOS 6 and iOS 7 will become available for each market on the App Store schedule of 12:01 AM local time on September 22. For more information, or to download BBM for Android or iPhone, visit www.BBM.com.

BBM will continue to evolve quickly. Later this year, BBM Channels will provide a forum for active, real conversations between you and the people, brands, celebrities, artists, service providers, communities and more, that matter to you. By creating a Channel, individuals and brands can engage their friends and communities in conversations sparked by their thoughts, ideas and passions. Subscribing to a Channel will let you join conversations with people who share your interests. In addition, BBM Video calling and BBM Voice calling are planned for availability for Android and iPhone in a future version.

Excited about getting BBM on your Android or iPhone? Let us know in the comments and spread the word to your friends